That is the glowing testimony delivered by his Reds teammate Ben Osborn, who believes the club’s record signing proved the value of hard work when he came off the bench to net a spectacular, vital goal against Hull last weekend.

The 15m euro attacking midfielder and striker Karim Ansarifard will both have given manager Martin O’Neill food for thought, after scoring appearances as substitutes at the City Ground.

Both players have had to work hard for an opportunity – although Ansarifard was also away on international duty with Iran for some time at the turn of the year. But Osborn says the pair rolled their sleeves up to fight for their Forest place on the training ground.

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And he feels Carvalho in particular is a player who can cause damage in the Championship, as Forest prepare for another massive game, against Aston Villa.

“Joao is a great footballer and, particularly at the City Ground, he can tear up the best of teams,” said Osborn.

“He got a bit of space and he hit it perfectly. I am delighted for him, because he has been working hard, even when he has not been playing as much.

“His attitude has been first class. You can say the same about Karim, who also came on and got a goal. I am delighted for them both.”

Manager O’Neill has spoken regularly about the need for Carvalho to adjust to the physical demands of Championship football, with the recently appointed Reds boss having utilised the player only as a substitute during his nine games in charge.